Jamie Borthwick's Strictly Come Dancing journey could come to an abrupt halt this weekend as new statistics are revealed ahead of the competition's first live show. The EastEnders actor is set to perform a Viennese Waltz with professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas on Saturday (September 21).
30-year-old Jamie is no stranger to the BBC ballroom, having swept last year's Christmas Special with Nancy Xu, 33. The pair's Quickstep to Shakin' Stevens' 'Merry Christmas Everyone' earned them 10s across the board, leading them to hoist the sought-after Silver Star trophy.
But according to new betting odds from Betfair Bingo, the soap star and 29-year-old Michelle may not be as successful. As per GB News, the site has ranked the popularity of this year's competing professionals to gauge their appeal with viewers.
Unfortunately, Michelle - who is competing with a Strictly partner for the first time - ranked second-lowest for Google search volume. Only Luba Mushtuk came in lower, according to the statistics.
Meanwhile, it's understood the Latin dance champion's 32,200 Instagram followers are the fewest of the professional cast. Betfair Bingo claims this could directly impact her and Jamie's chances of reigning victorious.
Despite the gloomy odds, the Jay Brown favourite has recently opened up about his relationship with the Cypriot star, claiming they felt an instant "connection" upon meeting.
Squashing any rumours regarding the so-called Strictly curse though, Jamie told The Mirror: "The idea of that whole Strictly curse, well it's definitely not going to be a thing here, because it would be weird doing that with my sister.
"Michelle and I met before Strictly and we instantly had a connection. But she is like a sister, an aunt, a mum, a best friend. She's looking after me, she's mothering me."
Moreover, he described Michelle's boyfriend Simone Arena as his "rock".
The 33-year-old is a former Italian Ballroom and Latin Champion and has previously competed on the Belgium, Italian and Irish versions of Dancing with the Stars.
Last year, the 33-year-old placed second on the seventh season of the show Irish programme with RuPaul's Drag Race winner, Blu Hydrangea.
The pair broke the record of receiving the most perfect scores in a series and were crowned joint runners-up with Jason Smyt and Karen Byrne.
"Her boyfriend doesn't know it yet because we've never met, but he's my rock already," Jamie gushed.
"I've been looking him up, watching him dance on his shows and I'm like, 'Mate, you're my icon'. He's an absolutely fantastic dancer."
During last weekend's Strictly Come Dancing launch show, Jamie was branded a "cheat" by co-star and Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans, 52.
The comment was made after host Tess Daly, 55, addressed his previous Christmas special victory.
"Jamie you had a taste of Strictly last Christmas," she said. "Cheat," interrupted Wynne before staging a strategic cough.
The Mirror reports that the studio audience burst into laughter at the exchange while Jamie looked on bemused.
In an attempt to glide over the outburst, Tess steered the conversation forward.
Tune into Strictly Come Dancing tonight at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
